Filipino educators to receive award in New York

Filipino teacher to receive award in US

Antonio G. Papa
The Manila Times
24 July 2025

BERNADETH Peña, a graduate of Cavite State University (CvSU), will receive the Pre-Kindergarten and Elementary Educator Achieving Child Excellence (Peace) Award of the International Association of Multicultural and Filipino-American Educators (IAM FAME) Inc. on Aug. 22 in New York City, United States.

The event is also the launch of the Teacher Empowering Achievement and Cultural Heritage (Teach) Awards.

Peña, a faculty member in the CvSU Physical Science Department for 15 years, is one of the 10 Outstanding Educators of IAM FAME 2025.

10 Outstanding Educators Awardees of the International Association of Multicultural and Filipino-American Educators (IAM FAME). CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

The Teach Awards recognizes educators who inspire a love of learning, promote academic excellence, empower students, and protect invaluable cultural heritage.

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The 10 Outstanding Educators category honors teachers whose innovative practices, deep dedication, and transformative influence have significantly shaped student learning and uplifted the entire educational community. It highlights their diverse approaches and unwavering commitment to fostering a brighter future for all.

The 10 awardees include:

– Ana Isabel Espino (Teaching Excellence). A Social Studies teacher and department chairman in Odessa, Texas, recognized for her focus on equity and critical thinking;

– Everly Rose Platon (Inspiring Minds). A New York-based educator lauded for fostering curiosity, creativity and integrating mindfulness into her teaching;

– Kate Nwako (Teacher Impact). A veteran New York City (NYC) Public Schools teacher empowering students with disabilities and actively involved in community service;

– Shawn Chisty (Educational Leadership). An education leader and diversity coordinator in NYC, recognized for transforming institutions;

– Arnold Libayo (Innovative Teaching). Honored for over two decades of groundbreaking mathematics education in both the Philippines and NYC;

– Jocelyn de los Santos (Community Engagement). A preschool teacher dedicated to nurturing learning environments and fostering community partnerships;

– Arwin Alitagtag (Dedicated Service). A high school mathematics teacher in Salt Lake City, Utah, committed to fostering a strong college-going culture;

– Nadia Jackson Henry (Inclusive Teaching). A math and special education teacher in NYC, championing diversity, equity and social justice;

– Bernadeth Peña (Peace Award-Pre-K & Elementary Educator Achieving Child Excellence). Recognized for 25 years in early childhood and elementary education in the Philippines and US;

– Joel Dogelio (Pride Award-Pre-K & Elementary Recognizing Innovative Dedication to Excellence). An early childhood educator in the Bronx known for his innovative and excellence-driven approach.

Cultural Heritage Awards

Likewise, five Filipino-American leaders and one organization received Cultural Heritage Awards for their exceptional contributions to preserving and promoting cultural identity:

– Elton Lugay (Gawad Bandila Dangal ng Lahi-Pride of the Nation Award). A Filipino-American journalist and community leader, founder of The Outstanding Filipinos in America (TOFA);

– Cristina Pastor (Yaman ng Lahi Award-Treasure of the People Award). Founding editor of TheFilAm.net and co-host of Makilala TV, dedicated to enriching Filipino cultural identity;

– Francisco Sy, MD, MS, DrPH (Gawad Tanglaw-Beacon of Light Award). A distinguished professor of environmental and global health, recognized for visionary leadership in public health;

– Maureen Johnson (Gawad Lingkod Bayani-Servant Hero Award). Deputy senior director at Friends of Crown Heights Educational Centers, honored for selfless service in early childhood education;

– Judilyn Cañete (Gawad Makabayang Kababaihan-Patriotic Women’s Award). Founder of MedStar Billing Technology and Resources, recognized for empowering women and pioneering health care training;

– Talisay Association, USA (Tausa), led by president Manuel Balazon (Gawad Bayanihan-Spirit of Solidarity Award). Honored for embodying communal unity and cooperation within the Filipino-American community and in the Philippines.

Jocelyn de los Santos, a Filipino-American community leader in NYC and one of the awardees, said the awards serve as a “driving force to amplify the dedication and work that each educator is doing in the community, whether inside or outside the classroom.”

IAM FAME is a US-based organization whose mission is to address the needs of the Filipino-American community and educators advocating for multicultural education.

Jollibee is America's best fried chicken year 2

America’s Best Fried Chicken Is Filipino—Again

Metro.Style Team
July 22, 2025 

At this point, Chickenjoy doesn’t need an introduction.

The crispy, golden fried chicken from Jollibee—known for its sweet, savory flavor and cult following—has once again beaten out America’s biggest fried chicken brands to claim the top spot in USA Today's 10 Best Fast Food Fried Chicken list. For the second year in a row, Jollibee outranked fan-favorites like Popeyes, Chick-fil-A, and KFC.

Because for many, Chickenjoy has always been more than just fried chicken.

It’s Filipino flavor wrapped in crispy skin, deep-fried with nostalgia, and often served with rice and gravy. For millions of Filipinos around the world, it's a taste that carries memory, comfort, and home.

A bee outflies the birds

This year’s USA Today Readers’ Choice poll, voted on by thousands of Americans, confirms just how far Jollibee has come. Since opening its first U.S. store in Daly City, California in 1998, the Filipino fast food chain has expanded to over 90 locations across North America, drawing long lines and loyal fans wherever it lands.

The top 5 winners in the 2024 list were:

1. Jollibee
2. Pollo Campero
3. Lee’s Famous Recipe Chicken
4. Church’s Texas Chicken
5. Guthrie’s Chicken

Meanwhile, major U.S. brands KFC (#8), Chick-fil-A (#9), and Popeyes (#10) found themselves edged out by regional favorites and, at the very top, a Filipino juggernaut.

Jollibee’s staying power lies in its flavor profile: unapologetically Filipino. Where most American fast food chicken leans heavily into salt and spice, Chickenjoy balances crisp texture with a subtle sweetness and umami depth that speaks to Filipino culinary tradition.

The joy that travels

For Filipinos abroad, Jollibee often carries deep emotional resonance. It's not uncommon to see long lines at openings across the U.S., Canada, or even the U.K.—many waiting not just for a meal, but for a connection to home.

The brand’s growing international presence has helped introduce Filipino cuisine to wider audiences, often starting with Chickenjoy as a gateway.

Filipina-led group shines bright in global agriculture stage

Filipina-led group shines bright in global agriculture stage

Jasper Emmanuel Arcalas
Philstar Global
20 July 2025

A Filipina-led advocacy group seeking to educate the Filipino youth on how to address hunger and improve the nation’s food security recently made waves abroad after being recognized by two international organizations, including a unit of the United Nations.

Youth Uprising, led by 24-year-old Robyn Mijares, was awarded with a Special Mention by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in its Champion Award category.

The FAO said it recognized the non-profit organization for its “intense engagement of young people in transforming agrifood systems.” The recognition was made during the week-long 44th FAO Ministerial Conference in Rome last June 28 to July 4.

The Champion Award is considered as the highest honor given by the FAO to its member-states, institutions or individuals whose actions have contributed in improving food security.

This year, the FAO conferred the Champion Award to Colombia’s Confederación Mesa Nacional de Pesca Artesanal de Colombia for its efforts in championing social protection measures for fishers and playing a key role in drafting laws against illegal fishing.

“These awardees remind us that transformation is already happening and must accelerate. Let us continue working hand in hand for the transformation of global agrifood systems to be more efficient, more inclusive, more resilient and more sustainable,” FAO director general Qu Dongyu said.

Mijares was also recently recognized as one of the young global innovators in agriculture this year by the prestigious World Food Prize Foundation.

Mijares, along with 38 other individuals which include scientists, farmers, policy advisors, entrepreneurs and humanitarians across 27 countries, was named to the 2025 Top Agrifood Pioneers (TAP) list by the foundation.

The awardees will be formally recognized by the World Food Prize Foundation at the 2025 Borlaug Dialogue in Iowa, US in October.

She is the lone awardee from the Philippines in this year’s TAP list. Mijares is also the second Filipina to be named to the TAP list by the World Food Prize Foundation since it was launched last year.

The foundation recognized Mijares’ efforts in “empowering” Filipino youth “to lead the fight against hunger through sustainable agriculture and education.”

“Her innovative model blends education, sustainability and youth empowerment making her a transformative force in food systems and a compelling candidate for the TAP recognition,” the World Food Prize Foundation said.

Mijares is the founder and CEO of Youth Uprising and Grow School Philippines that provides public school students with holistic and accessible agricultural and environmental education.

Mijares said she could not believe that what started as a school paper in her high school turned out to be an internationally acclaimed organization and a “vision” for the entire country.

The recognition by the two international bodies of Grow School’s mission of ensuring that Filipino youth will never go hungry is both “groundbreaking” and “powerful,” Mijares said.

“This moment does not feel like a personal achievement. It feels like a shared victory – for the Philippines and for the thousands of Filipino public school youth who have become a testament to what’s possible when young people are mobilized to lead our agriculture and farming sectors,” Mijares told The STAR.

Mijares said she remains committed to expanding the reach of her organization and works to more young people to drive change that creates long-term, lasting impact toward sustainable and innovative food systems.

“I hope to continue making my fellow Filipinos proud and to keep uplifting more youth, not just to feed themselves, but to have the deep desire to feed others as well,” she said.

“To revolutionizing agriculture in the Philippines — one school at a time, one student at a time,” Mijares added.

Grow School, which is considered as the country’s first bamboo-built, solar-powered farm school, has trained over 98,000 students across 42 public schools nationwide about climate-smart agriculture, agriculture technology and food security.

The farm school takes an “innovative” hands-on approach in teaching the students on how to address the country’s food system woes that is both “fun” and “engaging” for the youth.

The non-profit organization’s efforts are focused on achieving the sustainable development goals particularly zero hunger, sustainable cities, quality education and climate action.

Lionel Dabbadie, FAO representative in the Philippines, said the awards received by Mijares and her organization are “powerful” tools to inspire, connect and mobilize action toward achieving food security and nutrition.

Dabbadie shared that Mijares’ works were unknown to him when she sought his endorsement for the FAO Champion Award.

“I took the time to carefully review her work and I was immediately struck by the strength and potential of her initiative,” Dabbadie told The STAR.

The FAO official described Grow School as a “movement” that has the capacity to “reshape” Philippine agriculture as a “space of innovation, empowerment and relevance” for the Filipino youth. Unfortunately, Dabbadie said, agriculture is “too often” perceived as “outdated” or “unattractive” today.

“That is why Robyn’s recognition is so meaningful: it offers a new narrative. It shows that agriculture can be modern, meaningful, and deeply rewarding for the younger generation,” he said.